Day care worker’s abuse severely injured 2 infants, Pennsylvania officials say
Assault by a child care worker sent a 5-month-old and 7-month-old to the hospital, Pennsylvania prosecutors said.
Catalina Baldwin, a teacher at Oaks Early Learning Center, was arrested on July 31 and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person, the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
Her attorney information was not listed. McClatchy News reached out to the child care center but did not immediately receive a response.
The investigation began when a 7-month-old baby appeared to be having seizures during her third day at the day care, according to prosecutors.
Both her parents dropped her off that morning where she appeared healthy, but after a couple of hours in the care of Baldwin, the baby was unable to hold her head up, prosecutors said.
Cell phone records said Baldwin texted another teacher that the infant “is a nightmare,” according to prosecutors, then messaged the school’s director for help.
The baby was flown to the hospital, where healthcare staff said she suffered a subdural hematoma, hemorrhages in both eyes and a spine injury, prosecutors said. Doctors determined the injuries were caused by “non-accidental trauma.”
On May 29, a 5-month-old girl in the infant room was bleeding from her mouth, prosecutors said. Baldwin told the baby’s mother that she put a broken wicker basket in her mouth, according to officials.
The mother took her child to the hospital. Doctors determined the laceration in her mouth was not accidental, according to prosecutors. The infant was placed on a feeding tube.
Baldwin’s bond is set at $500,000, prosecutors said. She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 12.
Oaks is about a 25-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Day care worker’s abuse severely injured 2 infants, Pennsylvania officials say."
